April 28, 2026
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2026 NFL Scouting Report: C.J. Allen

Charlie Campbell04 mins




--2026 NFL Draft Scouting Reports Lander-- Drew Allar, QB, Penn State C.J. Allen, LB, Georgia David Bailey, DE, Texas Tech Rueben Bain Jr., DE, Miami Caleb Banks, DT, Florida Carson Beck, QB, Miami Chris Bell, WR, Louisville Germie Bernard, WR, Alabama Chase Bisontis, G, Texas A&M Denzel Boston, WR, Washington Zachariah Branch, WR, Georgia Xavier Chaplin, OT, Auburn Brandon Cisse, CB, South Carolina Jonah Coleman, RB, Washington K.C. Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M Omar Cooper, WR, Indiana Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU Oscar Delp, TE, Georgia Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State Gennings Dunker, OT/G, Iowa Spencer Fano, OT, Utah Keldric Faulk, DE, Auburn Malachi Fields, WR, Notre Dame Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia Earnest Greene III, OT, Georgia John Michael Gyllenborg, QB, Wyoming Anthony Hill Jr., LB, Texas Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee Cashius Howell, DE, Texas A&M Lee Hunter, DT, Texas Tech Ted Hurst, WR, Georgia State Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona State Vega Ioane, G, Penn State Gabe Jacas, DE, Illinois Darrell Jackson Jr., DT, Florida State Domani Jackson, CB, Alabama Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego State Javon Kilgore, S, South Carolina Cade Klubnik, QB, Clemson Malachi Lawrence, DE, Central Florida Makai Lemon, WR, USC Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah Kyle Louis, OLB, Pittsburgh Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee Kayden McDonald, DT, Ohio State Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana Akheem Mesidor, DE, Miami Blake Miller, OT, Clemson Christian Miller, DT, Georgia Derrick Moore, DE, Michigan Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU L.T. Overton, DT, Alabama T.J. Parker, DE, Clemson Harold Perkins, OLB, LSU Emmanuel Pregnon, G, Oregon Jadarian Price, RB, Notre Dame Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama Kamari Ramsey, S, USC Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio State Tony Rojas, LB, Penn State Sam Roush, TE, Stanford Joe Royer, TE, Cincinnati Keylan Rutledge, G, Georgia Tech Keon Sabb, S, Alabama Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon LaNorris Sellers, QB, South Carolina Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama Nicholas Singleton, RB, Penn State Jake Slaughter, C, Florida Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon R. Mason Thomas, DE/OLB, Oklahoma Michael Trigg, TE, Baylor Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State Mateo Uiagalelei, DE, Oregon Mike Washington, RB, Arkansas Antonio Williams, WR, Clemson Peter Woods, DT, Clemson Isaiah World, OT, Oregon Zion Young, DE, Missouri

  • C.J. Allen, 5-11/187
  • Linebacker
  • Georgia

C.J. Allen Scouting Report

By Charlie Campbell

Strengths:

  • Instinctive
  • Excellent run defender
  • Quick to the sideline
  • Good tackler
  • Hard hitter
  • Very physical
  • Will take on blocks
  • Can shed blocks and make tackles
  • Diagnosis skills
  • Read-and-react skills
  • Fits a 4-3 or 3-4 defense
  • Always around the ball
  • Quick to the flat
  • Effective zone coverage linebacker
  • Can help cover against tight ends and running backs
  • Can drop into zone coverage
  • Good vision in zone
  • Disrupts passing lanes
  • Leader
  • Ready to compete immediately
  • Experienced and successful against good college programs
  • Can make the calls and lead the defense

Weaknesses:

  • Not an elite athlete

Prospect Summary:

Over the past three seasons, Allen has emerged and shown improvement each season in Athens. As a freshman in 2023, Allen had 41 tackles with two breakups. In 2024, he totaled 76 tackles with an interception and four passes broken up. In his final season, Allen was all over the field and the best player on the Georgia defense. In 2025, Allen had 88 tackles, 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and four passes broken up.

In run defense, Allen is big and physical in the tackle box. He is instinctive and fast to read his keys to get in position to make tackles. Allen is strong to take on and shed blocks with a quick burst to fire to the ball carrier. With his strength and physical attitude, Allen will hit hard and put ball carriers into the turf with force. Allen is quick, instinctive, big, and could be a three-down middle linebacker in the NFL.

In pass coverage, Allen is a skilled zone coverage linebacker who does a good job of covering the flat. He shows athleticism in space and is adept at tracking down receivers to make tackles in the open field. Allen moves well in zone coverage and also shows some ability to cover tight ends or backs in man coverage. Allen’s pass coverage is solid to be a three-down starter in the NFL.

In the 2026 NFL Draft, Allen looks like a first-round pick, and some team sources think he could go in the top-20. Check out my latest 2026 NFL Mock Draft

Prospect Comparison:

Bobby Wagner. In terms of style of play, Allen reminds me of Wagner. Allen may not become as good as Wagner was in his career, but they have a similar playing style.


--2026 NFL Draft Scouting Reports Lander-- Drew Allar, QB, Penn State C.J. Allen, LB, Georgia David Bailey, DE, Texas Tech Rueben Bain Jr., DE, Miami Caleb Banks, DT, Florida Carson Beck, QB, Miami Chris Bell, WR, Louisville Germie Bernard, WR, Alabama Chase Bisontis, G, Texas A&M Denzel Boston, WR, Washington Zachariah Branch, WR, Georgia Xavier Chaplin, OT, Auburn Brandon Cisse, CB, South Carolina Jonah Coleman, RB, Washington K.C. Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M Omar Cooper, WR, Indiana Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU Oscar Delp, TE, Georgia Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State Gennings Dunker, OT/G, Iowa Spencer Fano, OT, Utah Keldric Faulk, DE, Auburn Malachi Fields, WR, Notre Dame Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia Earnest Greene III, OT, Georgia John Michael Gyllenborg, QB, Wyoming Anthony Hill Jr., LB, Texas Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee Cashius Howell, DE, Texas A&M Lee Hunter, DT, Texas Tech Ted Hurst, WR, Georgia State Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona State Vega Ioane, G, Penn State Gabe Jacas, DE, Illinois Darrell Jackson Jr., DT, Florida State Domani Jackson, CB, Alabama Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego State Javon Kilgore, S, South Carolina Cade Klubnik, QB, Clemson Malachi Lawrence, DE, Central Florida Makai Lemon, WR, USC Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah Kyle Louis, OLB, Pittsburgh Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee Kayden McDonald, DT, Ohio State Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana Akheem Mesidor, DE, Miami Blake Miller, OT, Clemson Christian Miller, DT, Georgia Derrick Moore, DE, Michigan Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU L.T. Overton, DT, Alabama T.J. Parker, DE, Clemson Harold Perkins, OLB, LSU Emmanuel Pregnon, G, Oregon Jadarian Price, RB, Notre Dame Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama Kamari Ramsey, S, USC Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio State Tony Rojas, LB, Penn State Sam Roush, TE, Stanford Joe Royer, TE, Cincinnati Keylan Rutledge, G, Georgia Tech Keon Sabb, S, Alabama Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon LaNorris Sellers, QB, South Carolina Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama Nicholas Singleton, RB, Penn State Jake Slaughter, C, Florida Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon R. Mason Thomas, DE/OLB, Oklahoma Michael Trigg, TE, Baylor Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State Mateo Uiagalelei, DE, Oregon Mike Washington, RB, Arkansas Antonio Williams, WR, Clemson Peter Woods, DT, Clemson Isaiah World, OT, Oregon Zion Young, DE, Missouri



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